Chapter 5 - Hymn of the Soul

The sounds of battle echoed throughout Akaja’s aching skull. Screams, the crunch of bone, the sharp whirl of spells. Were they here for her? What would they do if they found her? She rattled the chains which bound her, feeling a burst of determination, which unfortunately, wasn’t enough to give her the strains to physically break her bindings.

Then she heard it. The all too familiar cackling of Talai, as well as…

Yuki?!

The way the battle’s sounds suddenly died down made her heart sink. The idiot! What was she thinking?! Throwing herself into a situation like this! Did she skimp on hiring adventurers?

“Stop it!” Came Yukiko’s muffled voice. “What do you want? Money? Free drinks at the Vagrant?”

She had to do something! But what could she even do? They starved her, beat her, exhausted her, and chained her to the wall. Even if she could wriggle her way out she wouldn’t stand a chance against Talai and her blood magic.

Tears rolled down her face as she clenched her fists.

She’s going to die because of you… spoke a familiar voice.

She’s going to die… just like Yu… just like the rest…

Dead… because of you.

A loud metallic clang sounded from the other side of the room. An… orb? The very one she had stolen had somehow fallen out of Talai’s bag, which sat on a table by the door. Translucent gears turned inside the orb, and as it began to roll slowly closer and closer to Akaja, she saw the dim outline of a starry sky hovering around it.

Perhaps we should have taken the deal…

That voice again… it sounded like her own. She closed her eyes, trying to shut it out, but seconds later, when she opened them again, she saw… herself…

A ghostly, ethereal version of herself, standing where the orb once was.

“Who are you?”

The spirit grinned. "I am you, and you are me. I am the true you - the you through which you conscious sees itself."

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“Bullshit!” Akaja shouted. “You’re just some illusion! Some trick conjured up by Talai to screw with me!”

"Lying to yourself will help nobody," the other Akaja said… "Your soul sings for a way out. A way to hide from your shame. To blind ourselves to our failure. Yu is dead… Yuki will soon be. How many more must go down with us before you realize…"

“Realize what?”

"That things would be better if we were gone. If we were forgotten. Our failures not only weigh down on us, but also the others around us. Those who foolishly call us their friend."

“No…”

"If we had taken Talai’s deal, then Yuki wouldn’t be here. She would be back home, helping her father run the inn. Sure, she would’ve been sad at our deaths, but a few weeks of mourning is nothing compared to the pain of one’s last moments."

“That’s not… I…”

"Perhaps our Yu would still be alive… if we had kept to our promises, and remained by his side. If we hadn’t been so selfish, and left. Maybe we could’ve saved him…"

Akaja turned her gaze away from… herself. Eyes closed as she tried to drown out its words, yet no matter how hard she tried, it was always there.

"What point is there in fighting? Why resist?"

“You’re right…” Akaja murmured.

The other Akaja grinned deviously. Then our soul is one…

“To the void with you!” She heard Yukiko’s voice through the walls, though muffled. It was clear the young woman wasn’t done yet. “I won’t be intimidated by the likes of you! Step aside, and let Akaja go, or by the Divines I will drag you to the depths of the void!”

"Foolish girl…"

“Yukiko… fighting ‘till the end…” Akaja couldn’t help but to smile. “She really has grown a lot since we were kids…”

"She will die…"

Akaja closed her eyes in silence for a while. Then smiled. “Maybe… but she hasn’t given up… not on me… not on herself…” Eyes open, she stared up at her other self, a glint of determination in her eye. “I can’t give up. I don’t want to disappoint her.”

The other Akaja glared down at her for a brief moment. Her expression then softened. "You truly believe she will save you? That you both will escape this place."

“Yes…” Akaja said with a nod. “I have hope. It’s all I have until Yuki is here, and I won’t let anyone take it from me.” Taking a deep breath, Akaja braced herself against the chains and shouted: “Yuki! It’s me! Incinerate the bitch!”

The other Akaja returned her nod with a smile, then dissipated in a flash of starlight, leaving behind an ethereal raven, the tips of its feathers shining with a silver glow. "You have brought light to a new path. Take control of your destiny, and I shall walk it with you."

The raven flew forward into her chest. Akaja felt no pain, just a soothing chill that relaxed her muscles. Her eyes radiated a silvery-blue light as a surge of energy shot through her. Her body suddenly turned ethereal, a blue fog appearing around her as she slipped through her bindings as if they weren’t there.

Akaja stumbled, but her legs quickly found their strength. An unnatural torrent of wind suddenly enveloped her, granting Akaja the strength and speed she needed to dash out of the room and into the fray.